(MACintosh InTEL) Refers to Apple's Macintosh computers powered by Intel x86 CPUs. In the summer of 2005, Apple announced it was switching from PowerPC CPUs made by IBM and Freescale to x86 CPUs from Intel. In early 2006, Apple introduced the first Intel-based Macs: the iMac desktop and MacBook Pro laptop, both with Intel Core Duo processors and Mac OS X running natively on the x86 architecture. Later that year, Apple offered the first tower-based Macs with Intel chips, the Mac Pro line. See iMac, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, Wintel, Lintel and Core Duo.
A Mac/Windows PC
In 2006, Apple introduced Boot Camp, which is dual boot software that allows a Mactel machine to start up either as a Mac or as a Windows machine, providing Windows has been installed (see Boot Camp).
More significantly, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion are both virtual machine software products for the Mac, enabling Windows and other operating systems to run simultaneously with Mac applications. Windows programs can be launched from the Mac Dock, creating a seamless, mixed environment. In addition, because the Macs are Intel based, Windows runs approximately 75% as fast as if it were running natively in a PC of equivalent speed. When Windows runs in older non-Intel Macs using emulation software such as Virtual PC, its instructions have to be converted, and Windows runs much slower. As a result of the Mactel platform, many Windows users switched, knowing they could run the Windows programs for which there are no Mac counterparts at respectable speeds. In fact, if they migrated from an older PC, the newer Intel-based Mac runs Windows as fast or faster. See virtual machine, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion.
A Mac/Windows PC
In 2006, Apple introduced Boot Camp, which is dual boot software that allows a Mactel machine to start up either as a Mac or as a Windows machine, providing Windows has been installed (see Boot Camp).
More significantly, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion are both virtual machine software products for the Mac, enabling Windows and other operating systems to run simultaneously with Mac applications. Windows programs can be launched from the Mac Dock, creating a seamless, mixed environment. In addition, because the Macs are Intel based, Windows runs approximately 75% as fast as if it were running natively in a PC of equivalent speed. When Windows runs in older non-Intel Macs using emulation software such as Virtual PC, its instructions have to be converted, and Windows runs much slower. As a result of the Mactel platform, many Windows users switched, knowing they could run the Windows programs for which there are no Mac counterparts at respectable speeds. In fact, if they migrated from an older PC, the newer Intel-based Mac runs Windows as fast or faster. See virtual machine, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
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